Newspaper moves to metered online news

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Central Missouri’s Columbia Daily Tribune will charge for unlimited access to content on its website starting Dec. 1.

The newspaper said Tuesday all locally produced content will be considered premium content under the online metered subscription plan.

Online access to a maximum 10 local stories will be free each month. Reading more will require buying a subscription, which will be sold by the year, month, day or even per article.

And only online subscribers will be able to post comments.

Some online content will remain free, including weather, classified ads and Associated Press reports.

A Tribune vice president says the shift asks online readers “to share the cost” of gathering news.

Print subscribers will receive trial online subscriptions but then must pay an extra dollar each month once their current subscriptions expire.

———

Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com

More like this story

Moblogger 2 years, 6 months ago

Dumb move in a tight economy.

TheRickster 2 years, 6 months ago

Well you been getting the same from News Tribune for a year. On-line you only get bits and pieces and the real paper has much more. That is how so many argue here over things they don't know.

misshoneybee 2 years, 6 months ago

At least one can leave comments in the NT forum without having to pay for a subscription. I can understand paying a subscription to read entire articles, but paying to comment? That move there is going a little too far. I say, to heck with that noise. When I comment in the Columbia Tribune, I generally only talk trash about the fools in the crime section. But there is so much 'hug-a-thug' mentality in that forum that I haven't surfed the Columbia Trib. in a while. If I want to leve a comment there, I am willing to pay. But it won't be very often. If CT is hurtin' for money so bad that a person has to pay to comment on it's forum...a forum chock full of (some, but not all) uppity, superior-minded Columbians, then let the fair citizens of Columbia support their own doggone paper! I'll stick with NT.

misshoneybee 2 years, 6 months ago

Hey Mr. Online Editor...What's wrong with using the word P-O-S-T? My comment kept getting kicked back and telling me to watch my mouth, that p-s words weren't allowed until I removed it. P-o-s-t isn't a bad word, is it?

online_editor 2 years, 6 months ago

I'm not sure why it's doing that. I'll have someone check on it.

nunyabidness 2 years, 6 months ago

editor just fyi I tried to use the word ---ume, the first three letters being another name for donkey, and it did the same thing to me as it did to Miss. You've got one strict profanity filter lol.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 6 months ago

I think it's reading it as the initals "p o s" as in an acronym for "piece of sh..."

earlsmusic 2 months, 3 weeks ago

I wonder if "piece of post" will get through it?

nunyabidness 2 years, 6 months ago

I don't think it's a dumb move, I understand why newspapers like the Trib and the NT don't want to give away all their hard work for free. Would you rather pay for them and still use them or not have them at all when they go broke? That said if they're asking you to pay to comment well that's a little over the top and will just drive people away from their website.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 6 months ago

That's why they sell advertising...to support the cost of the paper.

jDeeken 2 years, 6 months ago

I am also having trouble with the filter.I can not figure out what word, combination of words or letters are not acceptable. Jack deeken

online_editor 2 years, 6 months ago

Yes, it's a problem we're going to be working on. Growing pains. Hopefully some day they'll be behind us. If you have trouble, e-mail webmaster@newstribune.com with the details. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune

JMO 2 years, 6 months ago

For some reason, I'm not able to p o s t at all today as a reply...only in an original p o s t.

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

Well they are already deleting members they do not like and purging posts or almost anything where members talk about other free sites in the online community.

misshoneybee 2 years, 5 months ago

Is that going on in the Columbia Trib?

misshoneybee 2 years, 5 months ago

Is this going on in the Columbia Trib, Moblogger?

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

Yes it is already beginning.

sillyrabbit 2 years, 5 months ago

Do you think people would use Facebook if they had to pay?

Figure it out, advertising pays for these sites and we pay for the advertising by buying their products so you pay for it in the end either way. If any site goes to pay it will quickly meet it's own demise.

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

That is what the membership is trying to tell the Trib owners is add more online adverts that will pay per click and go the the format that is used here. It is a much more fair balance for everybody.

online_editor 2 years, 5 months ago

If a local newspaper had Facebook's page views, well, yeah. But no one has come up with the magic formula to make digital advertising work out economically for local news sites. Look at all the layoffs and downsizing that have occurred at local news operations, be they TV, radio or newspapers. Advertising and/or subscription revenues from the traditional media side of TV, radio and newspapers have been subsidizing the new media side in hopes that solutions will evolve someday. I'm not whining about it, just sayin'. That's why you're going to continue to see experimentation with various models, including a mixture of basic and premium levels. Some of them will work, some won't, some will be modified over time. It's possible solutions will vary widely from business to business. The open marketplace ultimately will decide what works.

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

Check out David Rosman's Column today on the Columbia Missourian. I found it quite good.

nunyabidness 2 years, 5 months ago

Agreed editor, newspapers have been really struggling to stay open across the country. It's obvious ad revenues alone are not enough to make up the difference. That's why I will never gripe about your two sentence teaser stories; if you get me interested enough I will shell out the .50 for a paper. At least we can post here for free.

earlsmusic 2 months, 3 weeks ago

I bet they don't decrease the price of running ads. Fewer people reading the paper, fewer people running ads. It's a poison pill.

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

On the Columbia Tribune Web Site:

You have viewed your monthly allowance of 10 free articles.

If you want to read more, just close this window and follow the directions for quick and easy access

If you are a 7-day print subscriber, you qualify for online access at no additional charge for a limited time.

Already an online subscriber? Just sign in and we'll send you on your way.

Thank you!

Moblogger 2 years, 5 months ago

Work around to this Pay Wall Issue. All legal,free and only settings in your web browser. The easiest fix I found so far is using Opera Web Browser and setting it up with the Tribune as it's Home Page and rejecting all cookies,blocking all cookies from the Columbia Tribune and not allowing ANY pop ups. So far I can view any page,article,story I want to even after the ten article view limit is exceeded. This was the easiest I found yet. Oh their commenting is dramatically down but there are still a few hard core hold outs posting the same way they did before the Pay Wall went up. Oh and for those of you who think the above in unethical it is not my fault they have bogus web designers is it. I view hundreds of web news articles in a day and come across a lot of great web designers who know how to code their pages but there is always going to be holes in the coding no matter what that the changing of simple browser settings will allow you to use ie: exploit due to bad web design.

I think the best news online lay out I have seen with the Pay Wall featured software is this one right here!. It is a very balanced format that is fair to all.

Commenting has been disabled for this item.

News Tribune